Alternative Energy, The Dream And The Reality

This article will cope with the major resources of alternative energy: solar, ethanol, coal gasification and wind power.

Solar Energy

Solar energy reduces into passive and active solar. Passive is normally handled in the architecture phase of a building. Basically, passive solar is approximately orienting a building and constructing it with materials and techniques that make use of the sun's lighting and heating abilities when it's dark and cold and shading it when temperatures are hotter.

Active solar involves installing solar collectors that capture the sun's heat and transferring it to a liquid for household or commercial warm water applications.

The newer type of active solar utilizes photovoltaic cells much like semiconductors that convert the sun's energy to electricity. Basically, the solar technology knocks electrons loose from their atoms permitting them to flow through the material to create electricity.

Photovoltaic applications have already been limited by low power devices like calculators or even to remote locations where in fact the electrical grid had not been available. That is changing because the amount of photovoltaic cells being manufactured increases, which includes been lowering the expenses per unit every year by 3 to 5%. Simultaneously, technology has been making them better.

Benefits of solar technology include the proven fact that it really is free and contains little maintenance once it is

installed. When coupled with lower costs and much more efficient technology solar will play a significant role later on.

Ethanol

No discussion of ethanol may take place without like the amazing success of Brazil

in eliminating its reliance on imported oil from the center East. Brazil produces enough ethanol from sugar cane to supply 40% of its demand for gas. All fuel sold in Brazil reaches least 25% ethanol.

Ethanol isn't without its challenges. It can't be transported in pipelines and is currently

moved in railcars and barges. When found in higher concentrations, which may be as high as 85% it could damage fuel tanks and filters, could cause improper readings on fuel gauges and will corrode iron parts and electrical fuel pumps. In addition, it has issues with high degrees of evaporation and only provides 66% of the power content of gas.

With having said that, in the short-term ethanol is among the only solutions we need to the truth that transportation uses 67% of our nation's petroleum consumption.

Coal Gasification

The 600 traditional coal burning power plants in america produce 50% of the electricity that people use to perform our country. Unfortunately, coal pollutes when it's mined, transported, stored and burned. Using current methods, coal is pulverized and burned to heat up boilers to create steam that spins turbines that turn generators that produce electricity.

This process may be the primary reason behind global warming, acid rain and a great many other problems.

In coal gasification the coal is heated to 2000 degrees in a closed environment with steam and a restricted quantity of oxygen in order that it reduces to its component parts without burning.

A type of natural gas is established that may be burned more cleanly. Among the component parts is skin tightening and, the principal culprit in the pollution of the world, but it could be captured and pumped underground to regenerate oil fields or stored underground in caverns.

With 300 years worth of coal around, this can be the most crucial current technological advance on our world.

Wind Power

This way to obtain energy has tremendous potential with the price to create it having been down by 80% during the last 15 years because of technological advances. It really is abundant, renewable and clean and happens to be growing by 38% each year in america, faster than any type of energy generation. The best degrees of wind are located at high altitudes where average wind velocities of 100 mph aren't uncommon. But places where winds average over 12.5 mph are economically viable. The very best locations are on cliffs or on the ridges of mountains where changes in ground elevation cause a rise in wind speed. The issue with wind is its inability to gear around meet heavy load demand and the need to possess backup power production capacity from other sources.

These four resources of energy production will be the major alternatives we've today to get rid of our nation's dependence on oil. As newer technologies such as for example fuel cells are more practical we have to see less reliance on fossil fuels like oil and coal that may provide future generations with clean renewable energy.